Sleigh bells are ringing, families are shopping and store lines increase with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. While families eagerly prepare for Christmas, Elizabeth Howard prepares for Shop With a Bulldawg Event Day, an annual event that provides hundreds of children in Athens with Christmas gifts through a shopping day. Howard, a senior from Peachtree City, Georgia, is a committed leader in the Athens community. She’s been involved in a variety of campus organizations at the University of Georgia, as well as many philanthropic opportunities in her hometown of Peachtree City. Also known as “Howie,”she is most fondly recognized as the brains of campus organization Shop With a Bulldawg, a nonprofit organization that provides holiday gifts for underprivileged Athens children and students. Her devotion to this cause and her strong leadership skills earned her the title of executive director for this year’s SWAB executive board and holiday event. Shop with a Bulldawg serves over 500 children each year and provides Athens children with UGA mentors who take them shopping for the holiday season on event day. Because of Howard’s devotion to this cause and her commitment to leading mentors in this experience, this campus organization will help hundreds of underprivileged families in the Athens area this holiday season. The 2014 SWAB event on Dec. 6 and is expected to be the largest event in the organization’s history. Howard’s experience in Shop with a Bulldawg began her freshman year in 2011. She served as a mentor, which allowed her to shop with a child in the program and form a strong and positive relationship. Howard joined the event planning committee as a sophomore, where she learned the background of the event and assisted team members with organizing the event day. Her junior year, she was elected director of event planning, which helped her prepare for her current position. As executive director, Howard is the hands and feet of the group. She oversees the organization and holds her members accountable to ensure that they are progressing in a timely manner and completing all necessary tasks. In Howard’s opinion, the most crucial part of her job is to ensure that her executive board, committees, and mentors experience growth through this experience. “My responsibility is to make sure everyone grows as a leader every single time he or she steps into a meeting,” Howard said. “I want to make sure that each individual is ready to take on larger leadership roles for the next year.” Howard also works to create a close and passionate community throughout the organization. She believes SWAB is a great organization because the group’s efforts are rewarded through the grateful attitudes of the children this program benefits. “These people that participate in our program are so happy, thankful and grateful,” Howard said. “It is humbling to me as a reminder each year that it is not always about the gifts; it’s about the giving.” Howard’s heart for service and passion for SWAB’s mission have encouraged executive board members such as Recruitment Chair Rachel Lumsden during the months of preparation for the holiday event. According to Lumsden, Howard stands out as an intentional leader who cares deeply about the relationship she establishes with her fellow executive board members. “Elizabeth immediately made me feel welcomed. She bakes treats for us almost every meeting, answers emails constantly, and does more than anyone sees,” Lumsden said. “She knows how to handle people so well and always goes the extra mile to make sure executive board members feel comfortable, motivated and uplifted.” Outside of her involvement in SWAB, Howard is also the treasurer for PRSSA, the Public Relations Student Society of America. Kunal Tanna, a PRSSA member and SWAB mentor, remembers encountering Howard for the first time and noting her leadership and kindness. “Elizabeth is an understanding, cooperative people-person,” Tanna said. “She is willing to work with others in a way that is selfless, which is why she stands out as a leader in the Athens community.” The Athens and UGA communities will continue to benefit from Howard’s service as she finishes her studies at the university this May and has plans to pursue a career in Washington, D.C.

Shop with a Bulldawg (SWAB) gives U﻿GA students the opportunity to connect with an elementary student for a day and go shopping during the holiday season, but SWAB gives Elizabeth Howard the opportunity to use her passion to connect the UGA community and the community of Athens.﻿SWAB began operating six years ago but for Elizabeth Howard, senior, public relations major, her involvement began as a mentor when she was a freshman.

“As a first-year mentor, I talked to a mom who was just trying to provide diapers for her baby,” Howard said. “There are so many people in need outside of the University and it is an honor to be able to provide a necessity for someone.”

81% of students—Pre-K through High School— in Clarke County receive free or reduced lunch. Many families are unable to prioritize presents during the holidays so SWAB gives these kids an opportunity to purchase things they need, as well as extra toys or gifts they wouldn’t be able to buy otherwise.

After serving as a mentor, Howard joined the Shop with a Bulldawg Executive Board as director of event planning—later becoming the executive director this year to help execute SWAB’s mission to bring joy to children, hope to families, and the holidays to Athens.

Under Howard’s leadership, this year’s event on Dec. 6 will be the biggest one yet. It will involve 850 student mentors and 425 students.

“Elizabeth has helped transform SWAB into one of the most sought-after and well-known organizations on campus,” said senior, Ivy Odom, director of mentees. “The impact she has made will not be easily forgotten.”

As executive director, Howard directs her entire focus on the event once December arrives. On event day, the executive board arrives at The Classic Center at 5:30 a.m. to finish any last minute details before the kids and mentors arrive to experience programming and travel to Target to buy presents and essentials.

The Toy Story theme song inspired this year’s theme, “You’ve got a Friend in SWAB.” Kids spend the day with their mentor and new friend, but the impact has the potential to carry beyond a single day.

“The kids look up to college students so much because the mentors are planting seeds and giving them dreams for their futures,” Howard said.

Although SWAB’s effort is to directly impact the community, Elizabeth Howard is an example of Shop with a Bulldawg affecting her own life.

“SWAB encourages me to want to do something I’m passionate about,” said Howard. “In an interview, I’m able to talk about my professional experience, but I really just want to share what I’m passionate about.”

Howard’s passion directly influences those around her. “Elizabeth’s dedication does not just lie in the cause she is working for,” said senior Liz Tarver, SWAB’s director of mentors. “It lies in the people she is working with and for.”

During Howard’s junior year, she experienced a new level of generosity. A student began shopping with his mentor and asked if he could use some of the money to buy his sister a Barbie for Christmas.

“We are showing these children love and joy that they are spreading to their families and siblings,” Howard said. “This young boy had the opportunity to purchase something for himself, but instead he thought of others, and that’s truly what the holidays are all about.”